Electric generators are typically used to provide electrical power. One common use of electric generators is as a standby power source.
One common type of electric generator includes an internal combustion. The internal combustion engine drives an electrical alternator that produces alternating electricity.
Many existing system often include multiple electric generators, especially in situations where there is a potential high demand for power. There can be advantages to employing multiple small generators rather than a single large generator.
One of the advantages is that if one generator fails, or requires maintenance, a multi-generator system can still supply some power while a single generator system would otherwise not be able to meet demand. Another advantage is that load growth may be addressed by adding another generator rather than replacing an existing generator with a larger (and more expensive) generator.
Existing generator management systems start and stop generators based on the varying requirements of the load. The load must remain above a threshold for a fixed amount of time before an additional generator is started and connected to the bus. The load must remain below a threshold for a fixed amount of time before a generator is disconnected from the bus and stopped.
One of the drawbacks with existing generator management systems is that the delay that is specified to connect or disconnect one of the generators is a fixed amount of time. Connecting or disconnecting one of the generators according to a fixed amount of time often requires relatively long start delays to avoid undesired generator starting. These relatively long start delays can result in an overload condition of the generator that are connected to the bus because an additional generator does not start quickly enough.
In some existing systems, this drawback is addressed by establishing an overload threshold. When this overload threshold is reached, the generator management system starts all of the currently not operating generators and connects them to the bus.
There are drawbacks associated with utilizing an overload threshold to start all of the generators without regard to the actual power that is required by the load. One of the drawbacks is that there can be unnecessary starting of the generators, which results in excessive fuel consumption and undesired wear and tear on the generators.